Caçapava do Sul is a Brazilian

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the state of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

, located on the banks of the Camaquã River. As of 2020, the city has an estimated population of 33,548. It was the 2nd capital of the Piratini Republic from 1839 to 1840. The economy depends primarily on the mining industry. Caçapava do Sul produces 80% of the

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

rock mined in Rio Grande do Sul. For many years it was Brazil's major producer of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

and is still an important center of

copper mining Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, loca ...

. A major deposit of copper ore was discovered in the 1940s by the CBC (Companhia Brasileira do Cobre / Brazilian Copper Company), under the direction of Brazilian industrialist and famous playboy Francisco "Baby" Pignatari. The area, about from Caçapava, came to be known as the Minas do Camaquã (Camaquã Mines). This large operation contributed enormously to the town's economy and is still the site of operating copper mines, by such companies as Majestic Diamonds & Metals. The area has several interesting natural formations. Nearby lies Pedra do Segredo (Stone of the Secret), a natural outcropping of stone that attracts mountain climbers and tourists from all over the state and elsewhere.

Geography

The city is located at latitude 30º30'44"S and longitude 53º29'29"W, at an altitude of . It has a geographical area of . Guaritas Caçapava do Sul Brasil

Historic and natural sites

* Pedra do Segredo (Stone of the Secret) * Dom Pedro II Fort * Cascata do Salso (Salso Waterfall) * Minas do Camaquã (Camaquã Mines) * Casa de Borges de Medeiros (Borges of Medeiros' House) * House of Ulhôa Cintra ( pt, Casa dos Ministérios) * Parish Church of Our Lady of the Assumption * Guaritas (considered the 7th natural wonder of Rio Grande do Sul)

Nearby Municipalities

* São Sepé *

Cachoeira do Sul Cachoeira do Sul () is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southernmost Brazil. Its Marian Catedral da Nossa Senhora da Conceição http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/brazil/2666.htm GCatholic is the episcopal see of the Roman Cathol ...

* Santana da Boa Vista * Pinheiro Machado *

Bagé Bagé () is a city located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In 2020, its population was 121,335 in a total area of 4,096 km2. It was the seventeenth largest city in the state according to the 2011 census. The city was founded in 181 ...

Lavras do Sul Lavras do Sul is a Brazilian municipality in the southwestern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is in the Campanha Meridional micro-region and the Sudoeste Rio-Grandense meso-region. The population is 7,444 (2020 est.) in an area of 26 ...

* Vila Nova do Sul

References

Municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul Capitals of former nations {{RioGrandedoSul-geo-stub